Picnic Blanket

I finally have my first finished quilt for 2012!  (Yes, the end of July seems a bit late to brag about a first finish.)

This has vintage sheets, Moda solids, DS Quilts fabrics, Canning Day from Connecting Threads, Amy Butler Full Moon Dot, and some Pezzy prints.

picnic blanket

I've wanted to dig out some vintage fabrics and make one ever since my last picnic quilt.  For this version I used 72 ten inch squares of fabric for the top, a white thrifted sheet for the middle layer and a dark sheet from IKEA for the back.  The three layers of fabric give it a good solid weight and the sheets wash up really well in the laundry.

picnic blanket

This quilt is for a good friend who is getting married to her sweetheart this weekend.  Those two go on more picnics than anyone else I know (two to three times more than anyone I know).  They also go to the beach pretty often and picnic blanket is the perfect place to lay out on the beach.

picnic blanket

In the process of making the quilt, I trimmed about 4 inches of fabric from around the perimeter of the quilt.  Let's just say that there was an incident involving a basting pin and blood from my thumb which turned into a second incident of hydrogen peroxide to remove the blood making the purple dye from the backing bleed through to the front fabrics.  Grrr...

picnic blanket

I am pleased about the purple back.  It doesn't exactly match the front, but it doesn't clash.  It seemed like a nice dark color that wouldn't look muddy right after it was used for one picnic. 

picnic blanket

Of course, Henry thinks it belongs to him.  He tried to sit on it while Ben was trying to hold it up for pictures.  In fact, getting him to sit here and not roll around in the middle of it was quite a feat.

picnic blanket
 
I'm really happy with the binding and ties.  I was shopping for binding with Flaun and she talked me into the Flea Market Fancy green seeds instead of a solid that was kind of "eh".  But this green was just perfect with the green stitching I was using to quilt it.

If you've never made a picnic quilt I encourage you to try it.  I like to spread mine out in the shade on a hot summer day and then enjoy the feel of the cool, smooth sheet on my skin when I need a break from the sunshine.   The three layers are perfect for soaking up some of the moisture of a wet swimsuit without getting sand everywhere, too.  We put ours out for little babies at parties, we put toys and books on it for Henry to use when we are camping, and we use it for music nights at the park downtown.  I've even used it on the couch in summer for napping under and it was great for making a table fort for Henry.  If you have any other good ideas for uses for a picnic quilt, let me know.  I can pass on suggestions this weekend to the newlyweds.

18 comments:

Angela Nash said...

Love it!!! And I think the green seeds are perfect with that purple back - such a great, saturated color. I had not thought of using a sheet instead of batting. That's a great idea for a picnic quilt - I'm sure it bundles up into a nice, tight package without that extra fluff. Wonderful wedding gift.

Mermaid Sews said...

Love this alot, I can't wait to make a picnic quilt. I like the idea of a sheet in the middle. Brilliant.

Donna said...

Beautiful! The green seeds worked very well and I love love love the purple back. The back and binding are like an eggplant. :-). Hope the gift is well- received. P.s. those baby toes are precious!!!

Debbie said...

This is really sweet and I appreciate you telling what each layer is - cuz I wondered! Love the purple back!! Any chance you'd want to link up to Tuesday at the {picnic} Table?? This certainly fits the bill!

Toni said...

Such a fun picnic quilt! I love your sheet-as-batting idea and totally plan to steal it. The green quilting looks fabulous against the dark purple backing, too. I'm sure your friends will love it!

Shannon said...

Love the picnic quilt! It's the perfect mix of vintage and modern. I'm totally going to steal your idea to use a sheet for the batting too!

Also, for future basting mishaps, your saliva will take blood out of fabric - it works like magic! (the blood and saliva just have to come from the same person...)

memmens said...

So very gorgeous - makes me want to pull out some vintage sheets and get sewing!

Flaun of I Plead Quilty! said...

The seeds look perfect! You realize, of course, now I have to make a purple and bright green quilt for myself. Why don't they have cloning, yet???

Anna said...

the colors are just beautiful! what a great finish!!!!

Lynn said...

They are going to love it! I love it! See you on Saturday!!!

Anonymous said...

This is a wonderful quilt....

felicity said...

What a gorgeous, sunny, inviting quilt. Your friends are so lucky!

Freddie said...

I don't blame Henry for liking this quilt. I will add picnic quilt to my list (ever growing) of things I want to make. You have convinced me.

Lisa said...

Clever to use a sheet instead of batting. I might just try that :)

Anonymous said...

We adore it & tried it out on our couch while opening our wedding gifts this evening! There are not enough "thank yous" in the world to express our gratitude for this amazing gift and your wonderful friendship!!!! xoxo The newlyweds

melissa said...

oh this is so fantastic!

cmvs said...

wow, what a wonderful and gorgeous gift! i love those vintage fabrics and the purple is such a wonderfully fun and vibrant contrast. such a great combination- i'm sure it will inspire tons of happy picnics to come!

Patrick said...

Late to this party, but wondering if you pin basted this? How did you bring the 3 layers together? I have a picnic quilt, but the batting is cotton and gets too wet, so thought I would go with a poly batting this time. This looks like a much better solution, though, as it's lighter than a quilt, but offers a little more protection from moisture and prickly things than a single sheet (which we sometimes use). Thanks!

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